New Year's Eve
by Sapphire Jade Eyes
Summary: Sydney and the gang are at a New Year's Eve party. There will be secrets, romance, heartbreak, and six inch stiletto's. Sydrian. Rated T for alchohol references and possible language.
1. Chapter 1

**New Year's Eve**

**Chapter 1**

**A/N Based off of a one-shot by spaztronaut.**

"Sydney, you cannot be serious," Rose moaned when I emerged from my room.

"What?" I asked, glancing down at my black suit pants, white button up shirt and red blazer.

"Sydney, this is a party! And not just any party. A _New Year's Eve_ party, AKA the biggest social event of the year. And you look like you're going to a job interview!" Rose sighed and turned me around, pushing me back into the bedroom.

"Rose, I'm fine. It's not like I'm going to be partying hard or anything-" I argued, but this only riled the exotic beauty further.

"Oh yes you are. And you will do it wearing this," She ordered, holding up a ruffled, layered dress made from silk organza. The dress was detailed with a ruffled bust and cinched waist, and it was so short that it would only just cover my butt. The minute a breath of wind found it's way under the dress, it would be blowing right up and showing everything. And the worst part about it was that it was a deep, purple wine colour.

"You have got to be kidding me," I said, mortified, "Even you could not force me into that dress, dead or alive,"

"Want to bet?" Rose challenged me, cracking her knuckles. I opened my mouth to argue, but she glared at me, and I shut my mouth meekly.

"Now, you will wear this dress, or so help me I will rip your clothing off and pull the dress over your head myself," Rose warned, and I sighed.

"Fine," I muttered, "But at least give me some privacy," I pleaded, and Rose scoffed but conceded, waiting in the bedroom while I changed in the bathroom. I was slightly relieved to see that the dress, on my short figure, covered a few centimeters more of my legs than I had expected, but it was still so short I felt embarrassed even in private.

"Sydney, come on, hurry up, we're going to be late if you don't get a move on," Rose called from the other side of the door. Steeling myself, I eased open the door and stepped into the bedroom.

"Wow. Sydney, if I didn't know it was you I would have thought you were a completely different person," Rose gasped, her eyes going wide.

"But," She continued, "We need to do something about your hair and makeup. Luckily Lissa should be…" Rose paused just as there was a knock on the door, which swung open to reveal Lissa. When the young queen entered, she was already dressed in a stunning black dress that fell to her knees.

"How come Lissa's dress gets to reach her knees?" I complained to Rose.

"Because Lissa will be dancing with Christian all night, and won't need anybody dragging her out from the corner of the room or forcing her to drink something that isn't coffee," Rose explained patiently, before turning her attention to Lissa.

"You do the hair, I'll do the makeup?" She suggested, and Lissa nodded, stepping behind me and gently pushing me down onto a nearby stool, facing away from a mirror. The pair worked in silence, save a few question such as, "Smoky eye or glitter?" or "Up doe or wild curls?"

When I was finally allowed to see my reflection, I felt like a whole other person. Rose had done an amazing job with my makeup. She had gone with the smoky eye after all, which gave me an air of mystery and power, and Rose had decided to go with wine colored lipstick that matched my dress nicely.

My hair was perfect, and I was so grateful to Lissa. She had done it in an extravagant bun at the top of my head, with a few loose curls framing my face.

"Wow, guys, I don't know what to say…" I stuttered, and Rose smirked.

"Don't thank us yet, you haven't seen the shoes," She said, reaching behind her and displaying glossy, wine colored, six inch stilettos.

"Rose, I can't wear them! I struggle in three inch heels!" I exclaimed, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, too bad, we don't have time for me to threaten you again because Dimitri, Christian, Adrian, Jill and Eddie should be here right about…" A knock sounded at the door, "Now," Rose said brightly, "Now put the shoes on," She said as she walked over to open the door. I huffed but slid the shoes on, straightening just as Christian Ozera entered the room, crossing it in a few short strides and hugging Lissa.

Closely following him were Eddie and Jill.

"Wow, Sydney, you look gorgeous!" Gushed Jill, and I returned the comment honestly. Jill looked beautiful in a shiny silver dress.

I looked up and saw Dimitri enter and pull Rose to him for a kiss, and Adrian emerge just as he did so. I wanted to sigh, expecting that Adrian would say something, or leave, but he just walked straight past them, holding my gaze as he did so.

"Sage, you look amazing. The sultry look really suits you," Adrian said, and although the words were teasing, his eyes had taken on the same look as on Halloween.

Dimitri broke the kiss to compliment me, and I saw Adrian's face tighten.

"Here's hoping I'll make it home alive in these shoes," I joked, trying to distract Adrian. It worked, and he smiled.

"Yeah, as much as I'm loving the effect they're having, maybe you should go with a different pair," Adrian smirked.

"See, Rose, even Adrian thinks I should change shoes," I complained, but she was having none of it.

"Now come on, let's go, we're going to be late," Lissa exclaimed, leading everybody out the door and leaving Adrian and I alone.

"Do you… I mean… Can you help me walk, please?" I asked awkwardly. I had been planning on asking Jill, but she hurried out with Eddie as soon as Lissa was gone. Adrian raised an eyebrow at me, but offered me his arm, and I took it, surprised by the muscles I could feel underneath his formal black suit.

"You really do look beautiful, Sage," Adrian told me as I descended the steps warily. On the fourth step I slipped, and grabbed at Adrian for support.

"I don't know what Rose was thinking, putting you in six inch stilettos," Adrian laughed, and I glared at him.

"Heels this high should be illegal," I muttered under my breath.

"Come on, Sydney, hurry up already!" Jill ordered, waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm coming already," I smiled at the irrepressible teen as I reached the bottom step and, with Adrian's help, headed in the direction of the club.


	2. Chapter 2

**New Year's Eve**

**Chapter 2**

The club was loud and the strobe lights flashed different colors. In the center of the room was a large dance floor filled with people dancing. Skirting the dance floor were lounges, and on the far right wall was a huge bar area.

Rose and Dimitri immediately went to claim a spot on the dance floor, and Lissa and Christian headed over to the bar. Jill blushed and stood around awkwardly before building up the courage to ask Eddie if he wanted to dance. I winked at him as he headed of to the dance floor, leaving Adrian and I.

"Help me to one of those chairs and I'll be right until someone else arrives to ferry me around all night," I muttered to him, teetering around in the heels.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sage. Rose got you all trussed up like it's a cattle show. You can't waist all her time and energy moping in the corner. We're going to get you a drink," Adrian laughed, and I glared at him as I reluctantly wobbled after him.

"Adrian, you know that I don't drink," I hissed, trying, unsuccessfully, to pull him towards the seats.

"You do tonight," He muttered, ignoring my protests.

"No!" I disagreed.

"You'll thank me later," He argued.

"You actually think I'll thank you when I have a hangover tomorrow?" I asked in disbelief.

"I said a drink, Sage, not ten," Adrian smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, one drink," I conceded. Adrian ordered some kind of shot, I wasn't quite sure what, and I downed it in one go, thinking it would be better to get it over with. I was wrong.

The liquid burned the back of my throat and I choked, coughing violently and leaning onto the bar for support.

"Lightweight," Adrian chuckled and I glared at him.

"What sort of drink was that?" I spluttered and he shrugged.

"Now come on, you should dance," Adrian offered me his hand, and I glanced around nervously.

"Miss Sage, wonderful to see that you are looking after Jill so well as to even come to a club full of them to ensure things go smoothly," Amanda Barnsley, a high ranking Alchemist whom I had heard of, but never actually.

"Mz. Barnsley," I gasped in surprise, hurrying to stand and straighten my dress, wishing it wasn't this short.

"I just came to check up on you. It can't be easy spending so much time with them, yet you do it tirelessly. Impressive, Miss Sage, keep up the good work and hopefully you won't end up like some of the less remarkable Alchemists. We'll be watching," Amanda said, smiling and walking past me. I felt sick. Putting my head in my hands, I sighed and tried to relax, until I remembered that Adrian was still standing next to me.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Adrian. She was really rude to you," I apologized, and Adrian waved my apology away.

"Now, how about that dance?" He repeated, but I had been given my warning for the night. I didn't need another one.

"I can't, Adrian. If they see…" I broke off, knowing I didn't need to explain who they were. Adrian sighed again.

"Sage, you can't let them walk all over you like that," He said, growing angry. I could feel my own anger rise up as well, a direct result of the stress Amanda had just induced.

"I don't have a choice. I'm not like you, where the worst you face is becoming an outcast! My life is in danger, Adrian. If they find out that I'm even friends with any of you, they'll send me to re-education, and then-" I shuddered at the thought, "I have to go," I murmured, stumbling off in the opposite direction to Amanda and hoping I would be out of Adrian's line of sight before I tripped over these damn heels.

Now that I wasn't looking into his too-green-for-his-own-good eyes, I felt bad for yelling. After all, it wasn't his fault that if I danced with him I might get thrown in a re-education center. Besides, I could always say that he was a royal Moroi and that he demanded I dance with him. After all, it was in my job description not to antagonize the royals. Unless they were unreasonable, give them what they wanted and leave. I'm sure they wouldn't re-educate me for avoiding an explosive argument with a royal.

Just as I was turning to go and find Adrian, I was stopped by a Moroi who looked about my age. He had super model skin, baby blue eyes and bronze hair, and I supposed to some people who would have been hot. To me he looked a little too much like a girl.

"Hello, my name's Jesse. Can I get you a drink?" He grinned, and displayed a set of perfect white teeth. And fangs.

"Jesse Zeklos?" I guessed. I knew all of the royal Moroi, and judging from his age, I had guessed correctly.

My suspicions were confirmed when he nodded.

"So how about that drink?" He asked over the loud music.

"I don't drink," I replied, resolving not to drink anything else tonight. Adrian was right, I couldn't handle my liquor, and I didn't want to get drunk tonight. Who knows what might happen.

"How about a dance, then?" He pushed, and I hesitated, looking around to see if there was anyone that would protest if I declined. And of course, Amanda Barnsley chose that moment to spot me again in the crowd and head over.

"Miss Sage, may I speak with you a moment? She'll be right with you, Mr. Zeklos," Amanda stated, pulling me to the side slightly and speaking in a low tone, "I believe Mr. Zeklos asked for a dance. I know it will be incredibly difficult and I am disgusted I have to ask, but we need to keep in the Moroi in good favor with humans. At any moment they could decide not to ally themselves with the humans. This mustn't happen, so please, dance with them if they ask. Only the royals, though. We don't need the rest of those swine's good opinion," I nodded, despite the fact that there was something in Jesse's smile that I didn't trust.

If Amanda Barnsley asked me to jump off of a cliff, I would probably do it, because even that would be better than re-education, so, squaring my shoulders, I walked calmly back to Jesse and accepted his request.


	3. Chapter 3

**New Year's Eve**

**Chapter 3**

Jesse led me to the dance floor, where some people were grinding against each other in a way that made me blush just looking at it, some were dancing stiffly with someone, barely in an embrace, and some were just holding each other, swaying to the music. The way Jesse and I danced was like a mixture between the second and the third options. He was holding me close, but not close enough for it to appear personal in any way.

"You're very pretty…. Sydney, was it?" Jesse commented, and the way he smiled at me seemed a bit too much like a hunter that had finally caught it's prey for my liking. Feeling a bit ill, I looked away from his eyes, instead looking over his right shoulder.

"Thank you," I replied, as was common courtesy. I wished somebody would come and give an excuse as to why I couldn't dance with Jesse. But duty called, so I shook of my discomfort and focused on whatever it was that he was saying, when suddenly he wasn't holding me anymore.

Jesse was backed up against the wall by a furious Adrian, who had one arm across Jesse's chest holding him in place and one drawn back to punch him.

"What the hell, Zeklos?" Adrian growled. I was still too horrified to speak.

"What's wrong with you, Ivashkov? It's a challenge. I'm just trying to get an Alchemist girl to spread her legs for me," Jesse smirked. Then Adrian drew his fist back and punched him. Hard.

"Adrian!" I exclaimed, unfreezing at the sight of Jesse clutching his bleeding nose. One look told me it was probably broken. Adrian was breathing heavily, and looked like he was ready to murder Jesse.

"Walk away, Adrian. You're better than this now," I said softly, gently tugging on his arm. Adrian nodded and turned, letting me pull him through a crowd of stunned onlookers.

"A year ago you would've gone at it with me, Ivashkov. And you would've hurt her worse than I would," Jesse called after us, and I felt Adrian's arm tense as he began to pull away from me.

"Leave it, Adrian. Please," I begged, and he took a deep, steadying breath.

"You're lucky she's a good person, else you're pretty little face would be pounded in like there's no tomorrow," Adrian snarled before stalking outside. Just then Rose approached me.

"We should go-" She began, but I interrupted.

"I'll get him," I told her, slipping quietly out the door after Adrian.

I found him leaning against a wall, his head in his hands. It took me a moment to realize he was sobbing.

"Adrian, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I asked desperately. I hated seeing him cry.

"I'm fine, Sage. Just go back to the party," He muttered, obviously trying to stop the tears. On impulse, I pulled him to me and stroked his hair as he cried. This was kind of hard considering how much taller than me Adrian was, but I could tell my attempt had soothed him slightly.

"Talk to me," I whispered in his ear, "It helps sometimes,"

Adrian sighed.

"It's just that, Jesse's right. A year ago, I could have hurt you. I would have hurt you. Beautiful girl like you, I would have been after you like that, and the next morning you would wake up alone. And it kills me. It kills me what I used to be like. And not only that, the way I treated Jesse. Yes, he would have hurt you, but that was no reason to rough him up. You're a strong woman. You can look after yourself. And you're not even my girlfriend. I had no right to do that in there. I could have warned you. I could have threatened him. But you chose to dance with him, and that's your choice," Adrian ranted, until finally he had gotten it all out of his system.

"It was seeing you with him. It wasn't because he was going to hurt you. It was because his was with you and I wasn't," Adrian murmured dejectedly, almost as if he were ashamed with himself.

"Adrian, I didn't want to dance with him at all. I knew he was a creep from the get go, but this high-ranking Alchemist told me to dance with him. I'm grateful you dragged him away from me. And as for your past… A year ago I would die if I had to touch a vampire, let alone comfort one. A year ago, I would have treated you like... Well, like most Alchemists do anyway. But I've grown, and I've changed. And so have you. You would never, ever, hurt me, Adrian. And I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone else in my life," Now I was the one pouring my heart out to him, I understood a little how he must have felt.

"Sage, listen. I know you don't feel the same way about me, but promise me you won't run away. I need you. Without you, spirit is unmanageable. You keep me balanced, and even if we're just friends, I need you to keep myself sane," Adrian begged, and I pulled him closer, embracing him tightly.

"I love you, Adrian. But I can't be with you. I'll get sent to re-education. Or I'll get killed. Or both," I whispered in his ear, my voice breaking at the words. I didn't know what it was exactly that made me realize that I was in love with the green eyed moroi in front of me, but once I'd said the words I knew they were true. I was without a doubt, irrevocably, impossibly in love with Adrian Ivashkov.

"I love you, Sydney," He whispered back, "And I would never let them take you. Ever. I would rip off every one of their heads before they could lay a finger on you. I swear," He said passionately.

"Just tell me what you want me to do," Adrian pleaded. I paused, knowing what I wanted but also knowing how dangerous it was. Finally, I came to a decision.

"Kiss me," I murmured softly, and immediately Adrian captured my lips in his. His lips were soft and gentle, yet the kiss was passionate. I reached up and tangled my fingers in his dark chestnut hair. Kissing him made me feel alive, like I had been drowning before and had only just been brought up for air.

Soon enough, we were gasping for breath. Adrian rested his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. Unnerved, I began to think again, and pulled away, but Adrian grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him.

"Don't, Sydney. Please don't shut me out again," He pleaded, and the pain in his eyes was so raw that it tore at my heart. I brushed my lips against his.

"I won't," I promised, and I meant it. There were going to be serious risks, but Adrian was worth it.

"God, I love you, Sage,"


End file.
